# looking for a recomendation on corn cobs



## CALIFORNIA KID (Nov 21, 2010)

I have only smoked a pipe a hand full of times and actually don't own my own.

I just haven't found one it like for a price I like

that is why I am currently in the process of carving my own

My question is I need a few cheep pipes that I and use to taste several tobaccos

Cobs fit this bill perfectly

I am going to go with Missouri Meerschaum but haven't chosen what ones yet

I liked the miniature corncob for the price
Miniature Corncob Pipe - Miniature Corncob Pipe - Smoking Pipes (Click here to see all) - Missouri Meerschaum Company
but I am afraid that it might be to small

I was also looking at the pony express
Pony Express Corncob Pipe - Pony Express Corncob Pipe - Smoking Pipes (Click here to see all) - Missouri Meerschaum Company

I like the shape of this one too
http://www.corncobpipe.com/product.php?productid=16136&cat=262&page=1

and what can people tell me about these
Ozark Mountain Hardwood Pipe - Smoking Pipes (Click here to see all) - Missouri Meerschaum Company

also what is your "nice" corn cob recommendation

a few more questions
will a corn cob change the flavor of the tobacco
am I correct in believing cobs have no break in
how long should a cob be rested after smoking


----------



## InsidiousTact (Dec 3, 2010)

I'll do my best to help you out here. I'd skip the mini, it's alright if you just want it for pure 10 minute tastes of the smoke, but as it's stem and bit is about an inch long it can also be a bit harsh. I have one for tambo, the hands-down strongest baccy EVER IMO. I can still feel the nic in the mini.

Pretty much anything MM makes will be quality at great prices, you really can't go wrong. I have a legend, two diplomats, a washington, and really want more. I say try the diplomat, it's got a fair sized bowl, is cheap, and IMO looks good to boot!

The hardwoods don't really absorb moisture too well I think, but if you get a cake built it shouldn't matter too much.
I'm dying for a general and a MacArthur myself, I'll get them someday soon! I also want a forever stem. And a spool. And a country gentleman. And all of them.

A con will add it's own sweetness to the flavor, it's very light but noticeable. I like the flavor, I think it goes great with virginias and makes me enjoy burleys a bit. It's the only way to smoke a codger blend such as half&half!
Cobs do char, which I suppose can be called a break in period, and the pie shank insert burns off too after a few smokes. No big deal really.
Basically just let them cool down then run a pipe cleaner through the stem and swab out the bowl with a folded over cleaner and you're good to go again.

Good luck!


----------



## Stonedog (Mar 9, 2011)

I have a few of the Ozarks that I use when working in the garage or yard. They are nice and light with fairly small bowls and make good clenchers (although the plastic bits don't last very long). Mine have a decent cake built up and I used "pipe mud" to fill in the bottom so they should last a little longer...

I'd second IT's recommendation for a bigger cob like the Diplomat. I have a Country Gentleman that is consistently a good smoker with or without the filter and it is basically the same size but lacks the hardwood plug in the bottom.


----------



## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

I like the MM Patriot because it is designed without a filter and I think it has a better draw than the ones which are designed for a filter. Without a filter the filter pipes draw is too wide open for me.


----------



## Stonedog (Mar 9, 2011)

Nachman said:


> I like the MM Patriot because it is designed without a filter and I think it has a better draw than the ones which are designed for a filter. Without a filter the filter pipes draw is too wide open for me.


I usually take a 1.5" piece of pipe cleaner, double it over and use that in place of a filter. It still blocks bits of 'baccy but doesn't subdue the flavors of the smoke like a filter and more importantly it tightens up the draw a little.


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I'll second the Diplomat. The Country Gentleman is actually quite a bit deeper and a longer smoke, so I think you'd be happier with the Diplomat at this point. The Legend and the Pride would also be good choices. And a great recommendation from Stonedog about doubling a pipe cleaner to replace the filter! Filters "suck". :tu

I had some advice on another thread I'd like to pass along about breaking in a cob: Always dump the bowl when you taste turnpentine. And from the other thread:

_
Figure that at first, it will merely start charring that stem and tasting like turpentine early, higher in the bowl than after it seasons. As the charring gets deeper, the last of the turpentine/sap boils out and a layer of char on the stem protects it. Each successive bowl can get nearer the stem without actually setting it on fire. When it starts tasting off, that's the end of it, and I'm guessing you might damage the stem if you kept going. I think it's one of the reasons cobs are so successful for so many smokers. The big problem with briars is that they require some tricks to burn them down completely, not to speak of tobacco wetness, burning characteristics, packing problems...lots of pipers dump a wet dottle on a regular basis. Cobs have no such problems.

I've also seen the advice offered by cob veterans to never put anything made of metal in the bowl, like a metal pipe tool, and never touch that stem from the top. I've heard them recommend that you never do more than gently knock out what you can on your palm. I sometime use a golf tee on the walls, but I clean the bottom through the stem with a pipe cleaner. Just running a pipe cleaner through dislodges stuff in that little groove and it then knocks out easily._

All my cobs have filled in at the bottom with ash and char at this point and the stem has blended in. The bottoms look a lot like the bottom of a regular pipe now.


----------



## WyoBob (Mar 6, 2007)

I'd recommend a Missouri Pride which is a natural finished pipe. (IMO, natural finished cobs smoke a bit better than the plastered finished pipes.) The other naturals I've smoked are the Diplomats (which I smoke the most but these must be ordered from the factory and weren't available the last I checked), the Freehand which smokes very well but is pricey, heavy-certainly not a clincher and the Morgan (a prototype that might be available from the factory) which is an excellent clincher (weighing 18 grams) and a great smoker.

The Pride should be available from many vendors and cost around $4.00. (I have 4 of these in my rotation.)

Jim is correct concerning wet dottle. I've never had this problem with any cob. (It helps to dry your tobacco before loading.) My cobs all smoke to the bottom and a gentle tap completely empties the bowl of ash. I use a piece of pipe cleaner bent into a "V" with spring in the legs to hold it in place instead of paper filters.

For general information, here's some weights (grams) and volumes (cu. In.) of some of my cobs.


Legend Cob360.388Diplomat cob #1370.403Diplomat cob #2 
430.405Diplomat cob #3460.380Country Gent.
480.518MM Natural F.H.
680.931MM Natural Dip 
340.506MM Natural Dip
400.479MM Washington320.428Missouri Pride 
260.429Missouri Pride 
230.413Natural Dip
320.471Natural Dip
310.473Natural Morgan180.34


----------



## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

I'll second Jim's comment, after some use the nooks and crannys on the bottom around the shank just go away.

I had a friend give me one of the hardwood ozarks, and frankly it's still not broke in. Wood tasting charring and gets super hot fast.

The Mizzou's and Pony's aren't bad to try stuff out, but as previously mentioned they are quite small and the smoke doesn't have a lot of chance to cool along the stems. I also have a lot of facial hair, pony's are bad juju.

My Diplomat and Danish egg are similar in size bowl wise, both slightly bigger than washingtons or prides. Both smoke great, but the egg obviously isn't much of a sitter. I use every model I just mentioned nearly every day.

As far as break in, the first bowl is very sweet and corny, that is far less noticeable the second bowl, and pretty much gone after four or five.

My daily use cobs do develop cake, sometimes a lot. I let the crannies at the bottom and around the shank fill in but occaionally run a pen knife around the bowl being careful only to remove carbon and not cob.

Doesn't affect smoking really, but a heavily used cob does start coloring almost like a meer, dark lines chasing the kernel cracks and staining the plaster, neat to look at an old one when you buy a new one.


----------



## Blue Raccoon (Mar 13, 2011)

my first MM was a Country Gentleman and since I liked it I just kept buying them (helps I can get them local) I did get out of the boat and bought a banded Great Dane with a Forever Churchwarden stem. wonderful for a late evening smoke on the patio or on a solo road trip.


----------



## Jimmyc (Nov 5, 2009)

Last fall I purchased a *Corn Cob Pony Bent Pipe* and at the bottom of the bowl there was what looked like some type of glue (white colored) holding the stem in place. Because of this I was reluctant to smoke the pipe, thinking if this glue burns what type of chemicals will end up in the smoke. Does anyone know what this stuff is?:?:


----------



## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

Jimmyc said:


> Last fall I purchased a *Corn Cob Pony Bent Pipe* and at the bottom of the bowl there was what looked like some type of glue (white colored) holding the stem in place. Because of this I was reluctant to smoke the pipe, thinking if this glue burns what type of chemicals will end up in the smoke. Does anyone know what this stuff is?:?:


As far as I know MM just uses plaster, but they may also use some wood glue, as I have read about folks using that in making repairs.

Both should be non-toxic, but for the first few bowls if you start tasting turpentine or anything bad just dump it and load another, the taste will eventually go away.


----------



## Wlai (Aug 28, 2011)

Where do you order your MM? I bought a couple from a place called Aristocob, but shipping was alot compared to the price of the pipes, and I'm not seeing them locally.

I ruined my two MM by doing a salt treatment on them (I was fooling around, practicing on cheap cobs instead of briars) and the moisture got soaked up by the stem and it cracked the bowl. The Country Gentleman is still smokable, but the General was totally busted. Oh well, at least they were cheap, and now I learned not to put too much booze in the salt treatment when I do it for real on briars.

Second question: Are there any MM that's particular good at smoking cigar nubs with? Given the varying RG on cigars, something that has a tapered bowl with an initial large opening seems like the way to go, but I'm not sure which MM offers that, if any.


----------



## Jimmyc (Nov 5, 2009)

Thanks for the info Xodar. I purchased mine at Pipes and Cigars. I think i'm going to pick up a few more, great price.


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm a big fan of MM cobs. Here's my opinions on the ones I've used:

The Diplomat, Country Gentleman, Great Dane Egg, and Great Dane Spool are all similarly sized. Not exactly, but smoking time is going to be pretty close with all 4. The Country Gentleman has thinner walls...but it's certainly not a deal breaker/maker. Other than that, if you're choosing one of these 4, pick the one you like the looks of.

The General is quite large. We're talking smoking time as long as or longer than a Churchill cigar.

The Ozark Mountain hardwood is small-ish in shape, but the bowl has thin walls and holds more tobacco than you would think. I've only smoked it a couple of times, so I don't have much to say about it except so far so good.

Here's the cheapest place I've found to buy them:
mars cigars & pipes - Corncob


----------



## Stonedog (Mar 9, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> ...The General is quite large. We're talking smoking time as long as or longer than a Churchill cigar....


Is the chamber diameter of the General larger than the others you mentioned?


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Stonedog said:


> Is the chamber diameter of the General larger than the others you mentioned?


Yep, larger diameter in addition to being much taller.


----------



## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

gahdzila said:


> I'm a big fan of MM cobs. Here's my opinions on the ones I've used:
> 
> The Diplomat, Country Gentleman, Great Dane Egg, and Great Dane Spool are all similarly sized. Not exactly, but smoking time is going to be pretty close with all 4. The Country Gentleman has thinner walls...but it's certainly not a deal breaker/maker. Other than that, if you're choosing one of these 4, pick the one you like the looks of.
> 
> The General is quite large. We're talking smoking time as long as or longer than a Churchill cigar.


Not much more needs to be said than this. I just load 1/2 bowls if I want a faster smoke, this beats messing around with mini pipes.

If you make a purchase, I suggest that you buy a couple replacement stems while you're at it. This will save time & costs ordering replacements after you've cracked one.


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

CWL said:


> Not much more needs to be said than this. I just load 1/2 bowls if I want a faster smoke, this beats messing around with mini pipes.
> 
> If you make a purchase, *I suggest that you buy a couple replacement stems while you're at it. *This will save time & costs ordering replacements after you've cracked one.


Good point. Another reason to buy your cobs from mars - the extra bits are only 50 cents each.

Or you can get a nice "Forever Stem" from Walker Briar Works - Repairing Fine Pipes Since 1968. I have one, a fancy lucite "mini churchwarden" and it's great!


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> Good point. Another reason to buy your cobs from mars - the extra bits are only 50 cents each.
> 
> Or you can get a nice "Forever Stem" from Walker Briar Works - Repairing Fine Pipes Since 1968. I have one, a fancy lucite "mini churchwarden" and it's great!


+1 for the Forever stem. One stem for all your cobs!


----------



## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

Oddly, you pay a little more ordering directly from MM, but if you do load up on the bits, they list them at 25 cents, I have a box wit 40 in it, lol.


----------



## Fordun (Apr 30, 2011)

Ive only smoked 1 corncob pipe in my life so far and it was the one i made using a 6mm bb gun barrel as the stem...best smoking pipe ive had it gave the purest and coolest tasting smoke and it smoked alot better then my 3 briars.

Only thing is Cobs don't last forever but they do keep up and there cheap enough to replace when one kicks the bucket.


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> Here's the cheapest place I've found to buy them:
> mars cigars & pipes - Corncob


I went to check their prices on cobs, my finger strayed to the tobacco column, and the next thing I knew I'd ordered $60 worth of tobacco that I *DO NOT NEED! *Bob's Cholcolate and BBF, Royal Yacht and some Dunhill Flake, My Mixture 965...I am weak. 

But think of all the money I saved on that Country Gentleman!! :tu


----------



## BrewShooter (Mar 17, 2011)

freestoke said:


> I went to check their prices on cobs, my finger strayed to the tobacco column, and the next thing I knew I'd ordered $60 worth of tobacco that I *DO NOT NEED! *Bob's Cholcolate and BBF, Royal Yacht and some Dunhill Flake, My Mixture 965...I am weak.


I HATE when that happens!!!


----------



## keen smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

I definitely recommend the MM Diplomat. I like to keep a couple around for smoking and they are great for trying new blends.


----------



## ProbateGeek (Oct 13, 2010)

I started out with two cobs, a Washington and a Diplomat, both still in use, but picked up a banded Country Gentleman and a banded Great Dane about a month ago. These smoke WAY better than the first two, but I think that primarily is because of the 3.5" 'Spear' Style Tortoise Lucite forever stem I added to the order from Walker Briar Works.

So, needless to say, I highly recommend both cobs and forever stems. I admit the banding is purely cosmetic, but I can't help it - I like the bands. And to get even more use out of the one photo I took when they arrived:










p


----------



## JuanOrez (Apr 15, 2011)

freestoke said:


> +1 for the Forever stem. One stem for all your cobs!


I also have the "forever stem" and LOVE it. Best $28.00 I've spent. It's super nice having one stem for all my cobs.


----------



## kneepa (Feb 6, 2011)

I too, have a forever stem ...It's a "churchwarden" that I use with my 
country gentleman...fantastic smoke. And to echo the words of
Jaun O, best 20$ I spent on a stem.


----------



## CALIFORNIA KID (Nov 21, 2010)

thank you to all who replied

I ended up getting

1 Pony Express
1 Straight Diplomat
1 Mizzou
and 
1 bent MacArthur

and well as a replacement stem for each 

and couldn't resist a tin of dunhill flake along with a few other things


----------



## keen smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

Cheers Michael, enjoy.


----------



## CALIFORNIA KID (Nov 21, 2010)

thanks for everyones input in this thread

here is what I ended up ordering


----------



## MrRogers (Jun 15, 2009)

Nice! Have you smoked the general yet? Do let us know how it smokes. 

MRR


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Looks like the General might hold about half a free shipping load from smokingpipes. :shock: "Yeah, I finally scored a couple of pounds of Stoney, but smoked the General three times last weekend and it's all gone."


----------



## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

I would imagine you would need those long fireplace matches for relights in that general... :lol: But seriously, some nice picks there...


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

WOAH. I had a General, and I thought it was big. That's actually the MacArthur. Judging from the pic, it looks to be much bigger than the General.

Nice snag, brother! Enjoy them in good health!


----------



## CALIFORNIA KID (Nov 21, 2010)

I have smoked all 3 except the MacArthur the thing is a little intimidating. its huge.

And I am a little worried about relights with it. not to mention packing it with half an ounce.


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> WOAH. I had a General, and I thought it was big. That's actually the MacArthur. Judging from the pic, it looks to be much bigger than the General.


Ah, yes...not just any general, a *five star* general.

p


----------



## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

CALIFORNIA KID said:


> I have smoked all 3 except the MacArthur the thing is a little intimidating. its huge.
> 
> *And I am a little worried about relights with it.* not to mention packing it with half an ounce.


Seriously, pick up some fireplace matches, they are about 8-10 inches long, you shouldn't have a problem relighting with them.


----------



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Nick S. said:


> Seriously, pick up some fireplace matches, they are about 8-10 inches long, you shouldn't have a problem relighting with them.


The only problem there is that they burn upward and the unburnt part would get in the way I think. Eric Whatshisname of Pipe 101 video fame has an angled torch of some sort that looks like it would be pretty good. Can't locate one, but it's sorta like this:

flex-neck butane lighter - stoves, candles & fireplaces | Buy Fire Starters


----------



## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

freestoke said:


> *The only problem there is that they burn upward and the unburnt part would get in the way I think*. Eric Whatshisname of Pipe 101 video fame has an angled torch of some sort that looks like it would be pretty good. Can't locate one, but it's sorta like this:
> 
> flex-neck butane lighter - stoves, candles & fireplaces | Buy Fire Starters


Hmm, yeah I guess you would have to be pretty quick at lighting it before the flame crept up too much... Those long lighters would do the trick...


----------



## David_ESM (May 11, 2011)

freestoke said:


> Eric Whatshisname of Pipe 101 video fame has an angled torch of some sort that looks like it would be pretty good.


Coleman Flexion is a little flex neck lighter. Not a torch though.


----------

